A distinctive feature of batteries, in particular high-capacity batteries for automotive use, such as high-capacity lithium-ion batteries, for example, is the considerable amount of heat generated during routine or normal operation. Since batteries can make their optimum capacity available only in a specific temperature range, it is usually necessary to provide an active cooling device, which prevents overheating of the battery.
Here it is often the case that temperatures prevailing inside the battery are lower than the temperature of the ambient air. If ambient air then gets inside the battery, for example through pressure equalization apertures in the battery casing, the moisture contained in this ambient air may condense inside the battery and may cause considerable damage.
In order, for example, to minimize the risk of corrosion, particularly on voltage-carrying components inside the battery, it has been proposed to use systems which extract moisture from the air either inside the battery or before it enters the inside of the battery, thereby preventing a formation of condensate on sensitive components in the battery.
DE 10 2007 011 026 A1 proposes a battery in which a cold trap is provided for condensing and draining moisture out of the casing. However, this cold trap is disclosed as a separate, additional multipart sub-assembly. This means that in producing the battery additional assembly operations are necessary, which prolong the production process and thereby also increase the cost.